A Vanished Clock
by MomentoMori2
Summary: What will the great Professor Snape do when he will see his former student and now his collegue Professor Granger having a bit of... troubles? Will the bitter Slytherin help her or not? And will Granger accept his help? After all, nobody is safe of the unfortunate coincidences.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **It won't be a long story, maybe, 10 pages long, but I'm really thrilled about it. I have never thought that writing the verbal battles between Hermione and Shape could be so exciting, but it really is. As English is not my first language I certainly need a beta-reader. Please, help me, guys! ^_^

**Disclaimer**: as always nothing belongs to me. A pity.

* * *

**Prologue**

"But Professor Snape!" I cried angrily, "Mister Filch caught Doyle and Feenek yesterday. What do you think they were doing at two o'clock in the morning near the vanished sand clock?"

"Breathing the fresh air?" he smiled arrogantly, crossing his arms. And he knew that Slytherins were guilt. He knew it and still he wouldn't move a finger to solve the problem. If there were Gryffindors, who were caught, he would certainly take a few tens of points and give them a detention with a great pleasure. But for those of his House Snape was standing like a mountain, making use of that fact that nobody wanted to have a deal with him.

I was so tired of that prejudgment!

"They charmed the clock and you know that! And everything because of that that this year Slytherins are on the third place in the points and they sure will not see the School Goblet as their own ears!" I answered, still furious.

Snape just snorted and said,

"You have no proofs, Granger. The fact that they were caught is just an unfortunate coincidence".

"Headmaster McGonagall…"

"Will not engage in this nonsense. She waits a commission from the Ministry and you have to agree that it is far more important than the vanished clock".

I had a strong desire to pull out my wand and curse Shape. I understood that it was meanly and childishly stupid, but I just couldn't help.

"I won't let it go so easily!"

"I don't care, Granger. And, for Merlin's sake, deliver me from your screaming."

And after saying that, he left, as always leaving the last word to himself.

Hassles with Snape were not something out of the ordinary. We often argued and it seemed that he liked to piss me off. A sport interest or just a habit – I didn't know. And I didn't understand why Professor always perceived all my words hostility. It offended. If I hadn't known him better I would think that he wasn't indifferent towards me.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I finished Hogwarts seven years ago but I couldn't just left the castle which became like a home for me. It was alive, thinking and noisy with hundreds of children's voices. Century after century absorbing the magic and memory of everyone who has ever lived there, Hogwarts obtained its own unique sorcery which was able to attract to itself stronger than Amortencia potion.

One wanted to return there all the time. To walk down the corridors with high ceilings and stained-glass windows, to touch the rough cold stones and to breathe the sweet aromas filling an air in the Great Hall.

And now a couple of juvenile idiots decided to destroy all this magic. I couldn't have allowed them to get away with this outrage and the next day I immediately started to make my moves. Once again I interrogated with Doyle and Feenek and because of that I once again infuriated Snape. the guilty students, obviously, didn't confess and only smiled arrogantly, just as their Head of House, feeling themselves in complete safety.

It infuriated me, but I still wasn't going to give up such easily. I was teaching the Runes in Hogwarts and I knew perfectly well about them almost everything (as nobody could be sure that he know everything). Raido – the rune of path – could have helped me to find out the truth. Or the vanished clock, not breaking the restrict of using Legilements and Veritaserum.

But to make the charms work I needed the shred of those who knew the secret: Doyle, Feenek and Snape. I didn't doubt that the last knew all the details of that disgusting trick.

For the foundation I decided to take the signatures of all of them, as it was known that the handwriting was the reflection of the personality. Making a story about an opening of the dueling club I started to take the signatures of the students from the senior classes in the supporting of my idea. Most of them, including Doyle and Feenek, supported me. And there was the last bit of my task – take the Snape's signature.

I didn't go to him immediately – it could have raised his suspicions. At first I was forced to take the entire Professors' signatures, after that the Headmaster's one and only at that moment I risked to approach the Potion Master.

Though, I picked an unfortunate piece of time. It was potions in the Gryffindor and Hufflefuff.

When I entered the classroom Snape glared at me darkly but didn't say a word. Perhaps, he didn't want to argue with me in front of the students.

"Please, subscribe it, Professor Snape".

I gave him a parchment, trying not to laugh. The expression on his face was quite amusing – a mix of curiosity and annoyance.

"What a flubdub," he murmured, frowning. "Couldn't you come up with it during the break?"

"Well, you're not speaking with me, Professor," I reminded him kindly.

Snape was ignoring me after we quarreled with each other in the staff room when I called him a misanthrope and an egoist.

"Well, I think I might present it to you," he said scornfully, making a broad signature and gave me the parchment. I smiled fondly, already imagining how I would draw the rune and make the ritual of search. That was so exciting!

My abstractedness played and evil joke with me. Passing near the rows I should have looked more attentively after what was going on near me and to be prepared to all possible suddenness. I stumbled and in sake to keep my balance I clutched the nearest table. In that moment a student pushed the cauldron by his elbow, it overturned and the entire bad smelling potion was on me. It was good that the liquid was already not boiling and I hadn't got burned!

Although, I was rejoicing too soon. I didn't know that a student was supposed to brew but the potion was clearly spoiled. I didn't like at all an unknown color and the smell of the rotten eggs in it, either the fact that it started to steep the fabric of my cloak too fast for the normal liquid. The skin on which the potion had fallen lost its sensitivity in an instant. I tried to move my fingers – and I couldn't.

Suddenly my palm started to change visibly, becoming smaller. My head was spinning, I felt nausea and all the sounds around me disappeared as if somebody had turned off the radio. I screwed up my eyes, trying hard to breathe deeply and calmly. And when I dared to open them it turned out I was wrapped in some kind of carpet. I tried to throw it off in sudden fear. I wanted to get free and to breathe the fresh air. The carpet was unexpectantly big. It caused me nearly five minutes to finally get rid of it. I looked around warily and then squalled in fear.

Without no doubt it still was the potion's classroom but it was oh-so strange at that moment. Tables towered over me on their columns instead of normal stems and all over me were giants who were making horrible noises. They pointed on me with their fingers, waving their hands, shouting and laughing. Not able to stand this amymore, I shouted,

"Stop it immediately!"

And I fell silent, realizing that instead of words only the tiny squeaks escaped my mouth. Swallowing, I stretched my arms in sake of looking at them.

Paws. Instead of hands I had paws. If I could I would have laughed at them so hilarious they looked. Little, funny, covered with golden fur. Merlin, what had I turned in?!

"Silence!" ordered Snape.

Class fell silent in an instance.

"Forty inches essay about the properties of amaryllis flower till Monday. End of the lesson," he barked and then added in an amused voice, "and be so kind not to run over Professor Granger. Hamsters are delicate and fragile creatures."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

We were left alone. Professor levitated me on his desk carefully. We stared at each other in tense. Snape was staring with curiosity and a bit of disgust; I was staring at him with fury. Lifting my muzzle up all the time was really uncomfortable – my neck was aching, so I climbed the pile of books, lying on the table, and sat down, pricking up my hamster's ears. That way I was at least able to look directly into his face, not feeling myself Lilliputian near the Gulliver at the same time.

And I really disliked that smirk on his face – nasty and more than satisfied one, as if he had won at least thousand of galleons in some unknown lottery.

"This way I like you much more than usually, Miss Granger," he announced in confided tone. "Little, silent and completely harmless!" Snape laughed at that, leaning back in chair. "I should award a few points to Gryffindor, probably ten. No, twenty points! Saving me from your annoying attention is really quite an achievement."

Oh, if only I could speak! He would have discovered many unknown facts about himself! But, unfortunately, hamsters weren't able to speak. Though squeaking and hissing were really easy to perform.

In the end my efforts were in vain. Snape sat there, resting his cheek on his palm and drumming his fingers on the table in irritation.

"For Merlin sake, stop it! I don't understand you, anyway."

Snape wrinkled when I shrieked extra loudly. Not able to stand it anymore, he grabbed me on the waist in casual movement, squeezing my sides painfully. Wriggling out, I bit his finger. Snape cursed and released me from his grip. That was exactly what I wanted him to do. After falling on the table, I run towards the edge of the table and, overhanging, jumped down. I fell completely poorly, hitting my right side painfully. The main thing at that moment was to escape the classroom and find McGonagall, as she was the only one in the castle to re-charm me.

Chairs' legs rose above me as the huge towers. I zigzagged between them, trying as fast as I could to reach the doors ajar. Fortunately, students were in such a hurry to leave the hateful room they forgot to close it.

Suddenly the bright ray of curse crashed in the floor on my left, blinding me completely. I squeaked quietly and froze on spot, waiting for the new hex. It swept over me so closely I felt it on my fur. I run in horror, not looking back. At least running on four paws was much easier than I thought.

I didn't reach the door, though. I was caught by an invisible net, which raised me and dragged me back. I shrieked indignantly – I didn't want to go there! – and started to twitch my tiny legs. And all in vain! It was not so easy to get out of the magical net.

Passing the shelves with preserved in alcohol freaks I shivered in fear. I only hoped that Snape's collection wouldn't be replenished by one preserved in alcohol hamster. I hoped really strongly – Professor's smirk wasn't reassuring at all. In that moment I thought it was better not to bite him, after all.


End file.
